


Be Our Valentine?

by fishflake



Category: Guns N' Roses
Genre: (read that as a play on everybody loves raymond), Everybody Loves Duff, M/M, this is short and silly, which i'm realizing describes most of my creative output
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22730548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishflake/pseuds/fishflake
Summary: For a second Duff wonders if maybe he's getting pranked, if the whole band is just fucking with him.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Be Our Valentine?

**Author's Note:**

> a fic that dares to ask the question "is 11 pm on valentine's day too late to post a valentine's day fic?" 
> 
> just a short little thing i wrote way back when in like may in between working on my bigger projects and have decided to unearth in honor of the holiday

1.

Duff now knows what it's like to be a parent of young children on Christmas Day, up before the sun because the kids couldn't wait any longer to open presents.

Only he doesn't have kids and it's not 5 AM on Christmas. It's something closer to 1 PM and Steven is standing in his bedroom doorway, knocking on the now-flung open door to the beat of a song that exists only in his head.

"I'm up, I'm up. Fuck," Duff groans, pushing himself to a sitting position and squinting through the daylight to look at Steven.

He has a huge smile on his face and a heart-shaped box of chocolates in his hand that was almost definitely stolen. "Hey fucker!"

It takes Duff's sleep-addled brain a second to put all the pieces together. It's February. Heart-shaped box of chocolates. The fact that Steven's woken Duff up to present this box of chocolates, and he's just staring at Duff expectantly instead of launching himself into a wacky story about how he procured said chocolates or about whatever girl he's going to give them to.

There is no girl. He's giving them to _Duff_.

On _Valentine's Day_.

Duff's wide awake now. "For me? Fuck, really?"

Steven fidgets with the box a bit. "I know you're probably not interested in me, but I just wanted you to know I really like you, and if you ever...ah, y'know, the door's open. Happy Valentine's Day!"

Well fuck. Duff tries not to sound taken aback when he replies, "I...wow." He runs a hand through his hair. "I don't feel the same, but I'm really flattered."

Steven's smile falters a tiny bit, but he blushes.

Duff would feel bad leaving it at that, so he tries, "Hey, you eat anything yet today?"

"No," Steven says.

"Let's get to work on that chocolate then," Duff says, patting the space on the bed next to him.

Steven's grin is back at full force as he bounces over, already tugging the ribbon off the box.

2\. 

Steven leaves when they finish the chocolates, off to make sure he won't be alone tonight even after Duff threw a wrench in his first plan.

He ever-so-politely invites Duff, but Duff chooses to hang back and fetch himself a screwdriver to wash down the chocolate. He's in the process of doing so when he hears Slash say "Hey, Duff."

Duff screws the cap back on the orange juice and turns around. Slash is somewhat awkwardly leaning against the archway to the kitchen.

"Hey, what's up?" 

"We should go out sometime this week."

Duff looks at Slash quizzically. They go out something like six nights a week. Often seven. It seems like a redundant request. "We always do. I'm sure it'll happen."

"No, I mean..." Slash trails off and makes a gesture with his hands that doesn't really convey anything. "You know. We should _go out_. To a restaurant or something."

"Oh," Duff says, because what else can he say? He sets his drink down on the counter. "Like...like a date?"

"Something like that," Slash says quietly, his head tipping down so his hair falls in his eyes.

"Like...romantically?"

"Yeah."

Today is officially weird. It was getting there with Steven this morning, but it's capital W Weird now. 

"I don't wanna lead you on, y'know," Duff says gently. "I don't have feelings for you. But it'd still be nice to go somewhere."

"Yeah," Slash says sheepishly. "It'd still be nice."

"I'll even pay to make up for rejecting you."

"Fuck, you're such a gentleman."

3.

Duff is poking around in the fridge for dinner when Izzy sticks his head inside the front door. 

"The sunset's really pretty tonight. Come have a smoke with me."

That sounds more appetizing than anything that's in the kitchen right now, so Duff grabs his jacket and follows Izzy outside.

Izzy sits down on the front steps and beckons Duff to join him. 

He does, graciously accepting the cigarette Izzy hands him as he sits. The sunset really is pretty too: deep oranges and pinks stain the sky and cast everything in a warm glow. He lights the cig and takes a second to appreciate it before Izzy interrupts.

"Listen, man, I gotta talk to you about something."

Based on the events of the day so far, Duff has a nagging suspicion he knows exactly what Izzy's gonna say. He blows a cloud of smoke into the air before saying "Okay, shoot."

Izzy takes a deep breath. "I don't wanna beat around the bush. I'm really fucking into you. And it's fine if you don't reciprocate or anything, I just wanted you to know. 'Tis the season and all that." He doesn't make eye contact as he says it, keeps his eyes trained on the sunset.

For a second Duff wonders if maybe he's getting pranked, if the whole band is just fucking with him. But Izzy's not the type that'd take part, and he certainly seems sincere, so Duff gives him the benefit of the doubt.

"Shit, Izz. I'm sorry I don't feel the same, but that's really sweet. I'm glad you told me."

Izzy jabs his cigarette at Duff. "Don't you ever fucking call me sweet again!" 

Duff laughs, and they watch the sky together until dusk falls.

4.

As it turns out, breaking hearts all day's exhausting work.

Duff's lying down on the couch, ostensibly watching TV but mostly replaying the events of the day in his head. 

Steven hasn't been back since he left and Slash and Izzy went out together a couple hours ago. They invited Duff to go along, but he's not feeling leaving the house, on top of not being entirely convinced yet that they weren't pranking him. It'd be a little weird, regardless. 

He wonders if maybe he should have taken a chance on one of them - but then, which one? He's still leaving the majority of people involved unhappy. He rubs his temples and lets his eyes fall shut.

Thank fuck Valentine's Day is almost over.

He almost gets to end it prematurely, nearly drifts off to sleep until the front door creaks open and something drops on his chest.

Duff's eyes flutter open. A single red rose, wrapped in plastic. He looks up and Axl is peering at him over the back of the couch. 

"Hey," Axl says, then steps away and goes to the kitchen as if nothing just happened.

Duff sits up urgently, holding the flower delicately in one hand. "What is this?" he asks, looking over at Axl.

"A rose," Axl explains helpfully, his back to Duff as he gets himself a beer.

"Yeah, I got that," Duff says.

Axl sighs, then laughs nervously as he turns back to Duff. "You're really easy to fall in love with, y'know that?"

Duff has a feeling "funny you should say that..." isn't going to go over well, so he goes for "I am?"

"Yeah," Axl says with a soft smile. "Yeah, you are." 

He comes back to the living room, pressing a kiss to his fingers then reaching down and pressing his fingers to Duff's head. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Axl, I'm sorry, I don't-" 

"I figured," Axl interrupts. "But I thought you deserved a romantic gesture anyways."

He doesn't wait for a response before turning around and heading to his bedroom.

Duff will have to find somewhere proper to put the rose tomorrow, since there's not much in the way of vases in this house except empty booze bottles and he's not sure how Axl would take that.

For now, he sets it down on the coffee table, lying back down and finally falling asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> crossposted to rockfic, catch me there @ inducements or on tumblr @ fishflake


End file.
